Vincent Burns
February 5, 2016, 11:53 pm

I heard that CO2 levels can influence your beer. I didn't know that it could be that fragile of a system. It looks like it isn't a hard fix. I think it is important to have CO2 in your draft but not too much.
http://www.hbso.com/keg-specials-policies/

John
February 16, 2016, 6:14 pm

CO2 pressure levels for most beers are between 10-12PSI Some special micros can be higher or lower, usually the distributer will know the recommended pressure. Nitro Beers (Guinness) are a whole different animal and require a premixed gas. Pouring pressure can be controlled though beer line diameter.

Cesar H
February 17, 2016, 12:38 pm

Any part of the process from when and where it is stored to when and where it is served will affect the quality of your beer. As the article mentions, keep in mind the temperature, how it's served and the vessel being used.

The Badger
February 18, 2016, 12:48 am

Also having your taps professionally cleaned every other week is good, I once worked in a bar and was cleaning up and there was mold in the taps from not being cleaned regularly YUCKO!

John j
March 13, 2016, 4:48 pm

Hi john
Don't know if you can help but I have a question I have a Guinness Kegerator which works great but I recently got a system for my brother and when I hooked it up the pour is not smooth it seems rushed out of the spouts which leaves a lot of small bubbles on the head the gas is set at 23 psi
The same as my own .Any idea what is the issue .
Thanks

Dan
March 29, 2016, 1:23 am

Beer line length. 23psi is a lot too. Especially if your beer lines are short. Mine are 10ft and even 12psi is pushing it sometimes.

lee moore
April 12, 2016, 5:22 am

Lagers are usually served between 20 to 24 psi (co2)

Sarah Anderson
April 13, 2016, 7:03 pm

I have never made beer yet myself, but I will keep these in mind for when I do. I wouldn't have thought the temperature would change the amount of foam so much. Hopefully I am able to find a good balance using these tips.

Sarah
April 19, 2016, 11:36 pm

My new barrel of Estrella is coming pouring out just about totally foam. All the other beers are fine could it be the barrel it's self we've received that's the problem?

Caitlin Hartney
April 20, 2016, 4:10 pm

Hi, Sarah. If the problem is with that beer only, there may be a problem with the keg spear. Feel free to give a call in to our expert customer care people to troubleshoot. You can read them at 877-636-3673.

Qustion
April 30, 2016, 12:54 pm

Drove from Texas to Florida with a keg. I purchased the keg, wrapped it in a blanket for the trip. It was never exposed to any heat above 65 degrees (the AC in our car works like a champ) and had it back under refrigeration in less than 24 hours, it never got warm. I know this isn't ideal but it was my only option. The problem is foam and what seamed to be incredibly high pressure. I'm not familiar with this kegerator and the folks here aren't much help, but the mechanics seem to be the same universally. So I've lowered the temperature, lowered the CO2 down to 5 psi from 25 psi and cleaned the ice build up out of the unit and started over. The lines are clean and kink free.

What am I missing? Have I tried everything? #iwantabeer

My current plan (since I just finished cleaning the ice build up and lowered the temp and pressure again) is to wait 5-6 hours for the temperature to stabilize and hopefully have a lovely draft beer this afternoon.

Gio
August 17, 2016, 6:04 am

Hi. I just recently got a keg of swamis IPA. The keg was cold from the store and I have a kegerstor at home. The keg sat in the kegerator for a whole day and then i tapped it. Ever since the beer is been coming out really foamy. I cleaned the line and the faucet again and the psi is set to 12 but I still get mainly foam. What can be causing this?

Caitlin Hartney
August 17, 2016, 2:19 pm

Hi, Gio. Is it foamy all the time, or is it foamy on the first pours then clears up?

Gio
August 17, 2016, 6:14 pm

I have only poured like 80 oz of the keg but its been mainly foam. After seating in the glass for minutes the foam discipates a bit to form beer.

Caitlin Hartney
August 18, 2016, 1:55 pm

When you pour Beer A it is foamy. But just to clarify, if you immediately pour Beer B, is it less foamy? What about Beer C? The issue is most likely temperature differential between the cold beer and the warm metal of the shank and faucet.

Gio
August 18, 2016, 10:37 pm

So the beer that comes out of the faucet never looks clear. I would say that 30% of the foam clears up after maybe a minute but for the most part its thick foam. So i usually let it run so that the faucet its cold and it works well but this time around, I only get mainly foam.

Bradley
August 19, 2016, 12:37 pm

So i had a problem. My regulator for my kegerator went bad and was at about 25psi for about 4 day untill i coukd get a new one. After i replaced my new regulator pours great but my beer has become darker than normal (bud light) and seems to make you a littlr loopy after a couple glasses. Any input from other would be a great help? IS MY KEG JUNK?

Joe
October 23, 2016, 12:33 am

I just cleaned out my lines and faucets today with the cleaning kit. When I reattached everything and connected the coupler to the keg (a brand new keg), I noticed beer slowly sliding into the CO2 line. I disconnected everything and and when I reconnected, there was no more beer in the line. However, I've been incapable of pouring anything but thick dark foam from that keg since. What beer I do get is really dark too. The line has a ton of bubbles in it. I actually have a dual tap setup, so I switched the coupler and lines to the other keg (which has been pouring fine) and it's still the same issue, so I don't think it's the coupler. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Joe
October 24, 2016, 5:26 pm

Update: it was the keg.

Randy
November 1, 2016, 5:08 pm

What happens if I hook the Co2 outside the kegerator exposed to AZ heat

Bill lewis
January 6, 2017, 2:29 am

I have a keg system in my home. My problem is that the beer rapidly tastes 'skunked'. I clean the system regularly, keep the temp at about 37-40 degrees and the co2 at about 12 psi. I don't use it every day; a 1/4 keg may last me up to around 30- 45 days. Love draft beer but the rapid loss of that crisp clear taste is making me wonder what the problem is. Can you offer any help? Thanks.

Danny
July 29, 2017, 4:41 am

After reading these posts I found a common problem not discussed with the use of kegerators. I was having problems with my beers coming out extremely foamy after installing a new keg. The problem occurred due to my tap line resting on the exposed evaporator, the beer was partially freezing causing a restriction in the line. Repositioned the line and have had no further problems.

Scott
November 7, 2017, 6:19 pm

All of your Nitro beers run at 32 to 35 PSI due to the Restriction in the nozzle. Also make sure you are using 75% nitrogen and 25% CO2 for your gas mixture. Liquid Temp should be 36 to 38 degrees

Sean Maguire
August 5, 2018, 10:35 am

Hi can you help my lager when poured is pulling good but after a few seconds in the glass it don't keep it's head very well but all the bubbles are still there I clean my lines once a week

Darrell McGee
October 13, 2018, 9:18 pm

It could be that your keg is too cold and ice is forming inside the keg. All That freezes is the water the alcohol freezes at much lower temperature. So your beer is now at a much higher ABV.

Wrong!!! 10 to 14!
December 14, 2018, 1:00 am

Don't give wrong info!

doug
December 14, 2018, 1:02 am

YOU BECOME A ZOMBIE

Chris
April 4, 2019, 2:07 pm

Hi there,

After a long drive with a keg, you'd want to rest the keg in proper temperature for a solid 24 hours at least. Otherwise, the contents could be shaken up, which could have contributed to your faming issue. Cheers!

Chris
April 5, 2019, 8:12 pm

Hi Sean,

A couple issues that could be causing the bubbles include:
1. Temperature: the beer should be kept at a consistent temperature right around 38 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything higher than 40 degrees or lower than 36 degrees could cause an issue.
2. Beer Style: Different beers pour at different PSI levels, so an improper PSI could cause an issue.
3. Beer Clean Glassware: A non "beer clean glass" could cause unwanted bubbles on the inside of the glass.

If that doesn't help, I would recommend that you contact our draft beer experts at Customer Care. They can be reached at 877.636.3673, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm EST. You can also reach out here. They will be able to discuss specifics about your system and answer your questions. Cheers!

Chris
April 5, 2019, 9:03 pm

Hi Bill,

While the taste of your beer should change throughout those 30-45 days, it shouldn't be skunked so quickly. One thing that can cause early spoilage of your beer is an air leak into the beer. I have to refer you to our draft beer experts at Customer Care. They can be reached at 877.636.3673, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm EST. You can also reach out here. They will be able to discuss specifics about your system and answer your questions. Cheers!

Chris
April 5, 2019, 9:06 pm

Hi Joe,

It sounds like you may have an issue with the check valve in your keg coupler. It could be missing or damaged. I would recommend contacting our draft beer experts at Customer Care. They can be reached at 877.636.3673, Monday through Friday, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm EST. They can help figure out exactly the part you would need, or if it is another issue.

You can also reach out here. They will be able to discuss specifics about your system and answer your questions. Cheers!

ken lacey
July 20, 2019, 8:51 pm

A simple way to revive a flat pint is to wrap a clean copper coin in a tissue, dip it into your pint and waggle it around. works like magic.

nige
November 22, 2019, 1:35 pm

i have an home bar with Amstel on draught I have a co2 bottle on its lowest setting.
clean lines. the bar is situated outside with outside temperatures about 6 degrees at mo. I also have a chiller attached. my problem is just froth and very little beer I have altered the flow rate but only getting froth.
The keg is about 3 weeks old if that helps and half full

Dave Buchanan
November 22, 2019, 8:09 pm

Hi, your CO2 might be set too low. Amstel Light serving pressure is 14 psi.

Rick Patsula
January 1, 2020, 5:24 pm

After cleaning my lines and the tap. My beer is all foamy and it blows a whole bunch of compressed air to begin with before the beer starts coming out. I have tried having the CO2 at 10 psi, 15 psi and 20 psi. The same issue arises every time. There is a clear rubber coupling in the tap that connects to the CO2 line. Does that have to be rotated a certain way to stop this issue.

Dave Buchanan
January 6, 2020, 3:01 pm

Hi Rick, one of our Draft Specialists will be reaching out to you via e-mail to get some more information about your issue. Cheers!

Joel Weissinger
February 15, 2020, 2:50 pm

I'm looking for some input on my issue....I have two kegs running off of one CO2 tank, with a dual regulator. I found both kegs flat. The tank was showing plenty of air, and the regulator showed tank pressure as well. Not showing any leak at the keg coupler either. Any suggestions?

Dave Buchanan
February 18, 2020, 9:55 pm

Hi Joel, here's some suggestions from our draft specialists:

- Be sure that the gas is 100% Co2 and not nitrogen or Guinness gas. The tank should be full and set around 13 psi for most normal beers.
-Be sure that all valves are open. It can sound obvious but sometimes there are shutoff valves in the system that prevent the gas from ever actually getting to the keg. The beer will just pour off the head pressure already in the keg and eventually stop/be flat. These are typically at the regulator
-Be sure that there are no kinks or that the keg is not on top of the air line.

Other possibilities that are less likely include:
-Faulty regulator
-Beer set too cold
-keg has been on tap for an extremely long time (4 months or longer)

Stephen George
November 17, 2020, 4:37 am

My run is just under 8 feet from my keezer to my tap located on my basement wall. The temperature set on my keezer is 34 degrees. At the tap head it poured at 36 degrees. My pressure is at 10lbs. I played around with temperature and pressure in an effort to solve the great "beer is too foamy or flat" scenarios. I did some research and came upon someone who had solved this issue. His beer lines were too short. The lack of length in the beer lines was causing an imbalance in the mixture of CO2 and the product which caused the foamy situation. There is an algorithm that tells you exactly how much beer line you should have to get the proper flow to the tap. My lines were far too short for the run I was making. I replaced my existing lines. Instead os using the 8 feet of tubing I doubled it and just looped the extra in the keezer. My beer has been pouring perfectly since then. I DO clean my lines between every keg change as well.

Stephen George
November 17, 2020, 4:39 am

Gas should be between 30-35 on Guinness.

keith H
May 11, 2022, 5:59 pm

I bartend at a mens organization. Our draft beer using only one nitrogen tank that supports one Guinness tap and one beer of the month. The Guinness seems to be ok. The other beer rotating tend ALWAYS be foaming and fast. How should this 2 Tap system be setup properly? Thanks

David Buchanan
May 11, 2022, 8:53 pm

Hi, Keith. What kind of beer are you using on the second line? Only certain beers should be poured with nitrogen. If you're using the wrong beer with nitrogen then that could explain the foaming issues.

Eric Wheeler
August 12, 2022, 1:08 am

Question: Just installed a new lager keg after cleaning line and faucet. Beer tasted bad and very flat, NO bubbles. Lotsa foam though. CO2 set at 12 psi (as usual). Plenty of gas in tank. Compared to bottle pour of same beer which had plenty of carb. Returned keg and got different beer (but same brewery). Golden ale this time. SAME PROBLEM. NO bubbles in glass and tasted flat. Lotsa foam that lingers. Bottled version great. Can't believe it's the brewery. I've had their kegs many times. Is my 6 year old regulator going? How can I have flat beer and lots of foam at the same time? Temp is about 38.

David Buchanan
August 12, 2022, 1:31 pm

Hi, Eric. I would check to confirm all of your seals are tight and make sure all of the washer were properly put back. Cheers!

Tammy McEllroy
August 6, 2024, 4:24 pm

Hello. I am confused that in the 1st part you say CO2 is too high then too low. i have a keg of Budlight and have tried everything. Still have foam and semi flat. I did order new lines again even though these are new

David Buchanan
August 6, 2024, 5:22 pm

Hi, Tammy. Without knowing the specifics of your system, I would suggest making sure your draft tower is well-insulated unless you have a glycol draft system. During the summer, beer can get warm as it sits in the draft lines inside the tower, which can lead to foam. You can also contact our draft expert Chris at cuniversal@kegworks.com.